South Frederica Street could become home to a large, indoor sports complex. Local investing group Owensboro Indoor Sports LLC purchased the former Macy’s building at Towne Square Mall for $1.25 million, and it should take about a year to renovate the location.
Jim Estes brokered the deal and was the spokesperson for the group. He said $1.25 million was a good value based on the square footage and acreage of the property.
“It was assessed for more,” he said. “We felt like Macy’s was very fair [with the price].”
After Macy’s announced they were closing that location in January, it left the 80,000-square foot space up for grabs.
The City of Owensboro and the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention and Visitors Bureau had been in talks of creating a new indoor sports complex for years.
Historically, the local sports tourism industry has produced a significant amount of revenue for the City, and the plan was to purchase property that contained at least 60,000 square feet.
Estes said the location checks off a lot of other boxes on the City’s list of criteria for the complex.
“It’s a unique space in regard to its size,” he said. “The amount of parking is good, and the location is great — it’s within walking distance of five to six hotels.”
The building’s interior will have to be completely renovated, and Estes estimated it would be a year before any baseballs could be tossed inside the complex.
But during that time, Estes said there’s hope that other parts of Towne Square Mall can be revamped to create a comfortable, cohesive environment for tourists and residents alike.
Estes said it will take a collaborative effort between the owners of Towne Square Mall, the community and the City of Owensboro to coordinate a space that everyone can be proud of.
“Our public and private ventures have gone well downtown, and we’re ready to do that for South Frederica,” he said.